Hey all, I am still here. Have taken a break from the car, as Officiating HS and Jr. College Football taking up a lot of time. Earned funds will help me get back on track with the rebuild. WHOOT! Good to see I am not the only person with a '69! 2 1969's equals twice the available parts right!?
WOW! Dustless Blasting $1500, for bumper to bumper. Was tempting but then I would have used almost all the current available free cash on just that. Probably would have been worth it, but went and bought a side grinder and some stripping pads instead. And away we go! Exterior Tailgate done.
Drivers side stripped... Front fender had a lot of bondo on it. Bondo somehow accumulated on the roof over the drivers door as well. Never heard about it being hit, or damaged so who knows.
My 76' has bondo around the rear window base where the seam in the bed meets the window pinch. It was under the paint with the original window seal, so it must've been factory.
Great work. I am about to embark on that journey with mine. How long did it take you and approximately how many discs did you go through?
I have about 10 hours into it, still have the Roof, Right door and Quarter, and a few smaller pieces to go. Thats just the easy stuff. Thinking about having the Engine bay and interior blasted, if the price is right. I was quoted $1500 to have the entire car Dustless Blasted. A little research showed a steeper profit margine then I was willing to pay. But deffinately a good wat to clean it quick. I think I have used 8-10 pads so far. Found they last longer if you keep it as flat as possible. Corners and contours wear the sides reaaly quick.
If anyone has the Spring Clip Plates for a 69, I would be interested in them. Local Junk Yards don't have them. According to the Diagram for 68 earlier in the thread, and it seems to be holding true, 68/69 Station wagons and Ranchero's shared the same part, which the shock mounts to a post. While the sedans used a Spring clip with a hole for the shock.
As it turns out, 69 Sedan spring Clip Plates won't work on a 69 Ranchero. They are a little narrow. So still looking for 69 Ranchero/Wagon Spring Clip Plates. That's ok, throw the traction bars back on for a while for transportation purposes. All the exterior paint has been removed. The car will be going to Sand Blasting to get finished. As well as wheels, dash, and all the smaller parts that will be needing fresh Brittany Blue paint. A friend is going to loan me his rotisserie to ease the work. A car club member who does powder coating and blasting will be doing the work, very reasonable! AND, he is going to allow me to work on it in his shop for whatever we need to do while its on the rotisserie, for a day or two. SWEET DEAL! So next pictures should be in sealant, beginning body work. Unless I can get some pictures of the sand blasting work. OK, question... Paint? Single stage which is what the car came with, or Base/Clear. My understanding is with the Metallic Brittany Blue, single stage, we get one shot at it and any imperfections add to the cost. While Base/clear is far more forgiving. Was leaning single stage (original). But now, with an understanding of the potential hazards of metal flake single stage, I am beginning to think Base/clear would be the better way to go. What do you all think?
Thanks Guys! Appreciate the input... Yeah, can't afford to find someone who can do the single stage right the first time. Base/Clear will be much cheaper, and easier in the long run.
With modern paint a metallic single stage requires a very skilled painter. That is why most painters will run a clear coat even on single stage metallic. Also, with single stage metallic paint you can't rub out scratches later without the rubbed out area looking different than the rest, another reason to run clear over metallic.
Yeah, everything is pointing to Base/Clear as the best way to go. Really appreciate the input. Went through all my pieces looking for what needs to be sand blasted next week. Think I found them all. Am sure as I begin assembling things I will find more. Hopefully I have all the Blue pieces. Found a good grill on E-Bay, it shipped today. Now I have three. Between those I will get one perfect.
